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In the north-east region Italian region of Romagna, traditional music varies and includes ballads, folk music, and dancing music. Most of the ancient music has been passed down through the generations without an actual author and without being documented.
Traditional songs inspired by regional events were originally sung by elders following oral tradition until the end of the 20th century. After the elders have passed on, the music continued to be performed by a few groups, like L’Uva Grisa, dedicated to preserve and continue to pass on the musical traditions before it gets lost with time.
Since they were founded in 1981, the0 band L’Uva Grisa (that translates to ‘Sour Grapes“) has performed ancient traditional and regional music that reflect local cultures and narratives .
The work of the band is to promote the ancient music traditions of their ancestors from the region.
In particular some of the music was inspired by fishermen in the old times who used to sing on their boats.
Below are 2 amazing songs performed during a dinner at Hotel Eliseo in Bellaria Igea Marina during the #LovingRomagna event.
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Abbasso l’acqua Evviva il Vino
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“Down with Water Long Live the Wine” (lose translation), is a typical tavern song. It was written by Carlo Esposoto, Giulio Perretta and Mario Castellacci.
It was recorded in 1976 by the “Duo di Piadena” titled “Il Sangue Non è Acqua” (Loosly translated to: Blood is thicker than water).
However, L’Uva Grisa’s interpretation of the song is very different from the original.
Each song has English subtitles. Enjoy!
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“O Campagnola che stai sullo scoglio”
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O Country girl Sitting on the Rock is is an old song passed down by oral tradition, and it’s an exchange between a young fisherman and a country girl. The song is popular in various versions in many Italian regions. This particular variant has been passed down by the old fishermen of Bellaria Igea Marina.
In this video, the song is performed by Mirco Marferrari, and he had the entire restaurant at Hotel Eliseo in stitches with his enamored performance… towards the end of the video the object of this fisherman’s affection is revealed, so be sure to watch the video through to find out what happens at the end!
Some video footage of the performance edited into this video was provided by James Martin (www.wanderingitaly.com/blog)
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For more information on L’Uva Grisa, you can visit their website at: http://www.uvagrisa.it/ or follow them on their FaceBook Page
You can also find their music on iTunes:
Alzati so Belin che il Giorno e Chiaro CD
Il Veglione di Sant’Apollonia CD
You can enjoy more music by L’Uva Grisa on the A Road Retraveled Food + Travel series from Bellaria Igea Marina during the #LovingRomagna event.
First episode:
Tagliatelle with, Ragu Romagna style – with Nonna Violante
Thank you, and see you soon on A Road Retraveled!
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